Note that the two countries that fought from 1861-1865 (one fought for independence, the other fought to retain seven states worth of land, people, and especially economy) had very different ethics, noted below:
List of towns burnt or pillaged by Confederate forces:
ZERO
List of towns burnt or pillaged by Union forces:
- Osceola, Missouri, burned to the ground, September 24, 1861 – The town of 3,000 people was plundered and burned to the ground, 200 slaves were freed and nine local citizens were executed.
- Platte City – December 16, 1861 – “Colonel W. James Morgan marches from St. Joseph to Platte City. Once there, Morgan burns the city and takes three prisoners — all furloughed or discharged Confederate soldiers. Morgan leads the prisoners to Bee Creek, where one is shot and a second is bayonetted, while the third is released. ”
- Dayton, Missouri, burned, January 1 to 3, 1862
- Columbus, Missouri, burned, reported on January 13, 1862
- Bentonville, Arkansas, partly burned, February 23, 1862 – a Federal search party set fire to the town after finding a dead Union soldier, burning most of it to the ground
- Winton, North Carolina, burned, reported on February 21, 1862 – first NC town burned by the Union, and completely burned to the ground
- Bledsoe’s Landing, Arkansas, burned, October 21, 1862
- Hamblin’s, Arkansas, burned, October 21, 1862
- Donaldsonville, Louisiana, partly burned, August 10, 1862
- Athens, Alabama, partly burned, August 30, 1862
- Randolph, Tennessee, burned, September 26, 1862
- Elm Grove and Hopefield, Arkansas, burned, October 18, 1862
- Fredericksburg December 11–15, 1862 – town not destroyed, but the Union army threw shells into a town full of civilians
- Napoleon, Arkansas, partly burned, January 17, 1863
- Mound City, Arkansas, partly burned, January 13, 1863
- Hopefield, Arkansas, burned, February 21, 1863 – “Captain Lemon allowed residents one hour to remove personal items, and the men then burned every house in the village.”
- Eunice, Arkansas, burned, June 14, 1863
- Gaines Landing, Arkansas, burned, June 15, 1863
- Bluffton, South Carolina, burned, reported June 6, 1863 – ”
Union troops, about 1,000 strong, crossed Calibogue Sound and eased up the May River in the pre-dawn fog, surprising ineffective pickets and having their way in an unoccupied village. Rebel troops put up a bit of a fight, but gunboats blasted away as two-thirds of the town was burned in less than four hours. After the Yankees looted furniture and left, about two-thirds of the town’s 60 homes were destroyed.” - Sibley, Missouri, burned June 28, 1863
- Hernando, Mississippi, partly burned, April 21, 1863
- Austin, Mississippi, burned, May 24, 1863 – “On May 24, a detachment of Union marines landed near Austin. They quickly marched to the town, ordered all of the townpeople out and burned down the town.”
- Columbus, Tennessee, burned, reported February 10, 1864
- Meridian, Mississippi, destroyed, February 3 to March 6, 1864 (burned multiple times)
- Washington, North Carolina, sacked and burned, April 20, 1864
- Hallowell’s Landing, Alabama, burned, reported May 14, 1864
- Newtown, Virginia, May 30, 1864
- Rome, Georgia, partly burned, November 11, 1864 – “Union soldiers were told to burn buildings the Confederacy could use in its war effort: railroad depots, storehouses, mills, foundries, factories and bridges. Despite orders to respect private property, some soldiers had their own idea. They ran through the city bearing firebrands, setting fire to what George M. Battey Jr. called harmless places.”
- Atlanta, Georgia, burned, November 15, 1864
- Camden Point, Missouri, burned, July 14, 1864
- Kendal’s Grist-Mill, Arkansas, burned, September 3, 1864
- Shenandoah Valley, devastated, reported October 1, 1864 by Sheridan. Washington College was sacked and burned during this campaign.
- Griswoldville, Georgia, burned, November 21, 1864
- Somerville, Alabama, burned, January 17, 1865
- McPhersonville, South Carolina, burned, January 30, 1865
- Barnwell, South Carolina, burned, reported February 9, 1865
- Columbia, South Carolina, burned, reported February 17, 1865
- Winnsborough, South Carolina, pillaged and partly burned, February 21, 1865
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama, burned, April 4, 1865
Sick when you think about it, and which flag do you honor more?
-SF1